This invention relates to an athletic training device and in particular to a device to develop and maintain the skills important to the play of soccer.
One prior art device for soccer training or practice involved tethering a soccer ball to an anchor in the ground with a length of elastic cord. Such devices presented numerous problems and consequently were of limited utility. The soccer ball and cord apparatus required a large flat area, which limited possible sites and virtually precluded indoor use. The tethering cord had to be securely anchored to the ground. This was typically accomplished by driving an anchoring pin into the ground. This damaged the ground and was unuseable on hard surfaces such as asphalt or cement or indoors. Also, the anchoring device or the cord could cause the user to trip. Finally, the elastic cord tether caused a fixed and slow return time that did not adequately prepare the user for real soccer play. The slowness of the tether system simply did not permit the user to develop the quickness and co-ordination crucial to the game.
Another prior art device was a resilient panel or backstop arranged vertically or at a near vertical angle against which the user kicked the ball. This device, too, suffered from numerous problems and consequently was of limited usefulness. Like the soccer ball and cord apparatus, the backstop device required a large flat area which restricted possible sites and virtually precluded indoor use. Since the ball was not tethered or otherwise contained, use was further limited to areas where an escaped ball could cause no damage. Yet another problem was the cumbersome support mechanism on the device, which was prone to collapse. Finally, like the soccer ball and cord apparatus, the backstop device provided a slow return time that did not adequately prepare the user for real soccer play. The slowness of the backstop device simply did not permit the user to develop the quickness and co-ordination crucial to the game.
An example of an excellent training and practice device is the device disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 472,072 filed Mar. 4, 1983. That device comprises a ball rebounder in communication with a playing surface formed by a trampoline. Resilient cords, supported by collapsible safety poles about the periphery of the trampoline, enclose the playing surface. The user positions himself on the playing surface, which allows him to simulate running, jogging, or standing, and kicks the ball into the rebounder, which returns it to him. Escaped balls are contained on the playing surface by the resilient cords.
The rebounder device just described was a vast improvement over the prior art, and my present invention is not intended to supplant it but to complement it by providing an alternative soccer training and practice device concentrating on the development of quickness and co-ordination. My present invention supplements my prior rebounder device in a soccer training regimen in much the same way that a punching bag supplements other facets of a boxer's training.
The training and practice device of my present invention comprises a ball resiliently mounted on an arm extending from the frame of a trampoline. The trampoline provides a playing surface on which the user positions himself and allows the user to simulate running, jogging, or standing.
In the first embodiment a collar encircles one of the legs of the trampoline and is engaged thereto by a butterfly bolt. An arm extends from the collar generally radially from the trampoline. A ball-like bag is resiliently mounted to the top of the arm near the free end. The height of the ball with respect to the playing surface is adjustable by raising or lowering the collar on the leg of the trampoline. The distance of the ball from the playing surface is adjustable by rotating the collar on the leg of the trampoline, so that the orientation of the arm becomes less radial and more tangential to the trampoline, thereby reducing the distance, or more radial and less tangential to the trampoline, thereby increasing the distance.
In the second embodiment, a bracket engages the frame of the trampoline and is secured thereto by a butterfly bolt threaded through one portion of the bracket and engaging the frame against another portion of the bracket. A relatively short arm is attached to the bracket and extends generally outwardly from the playing surface. A ball-like bag is resiliently mounted to the top of the arm near the free end.
The device of this invention provides valuable training and practice of the skills required to play soccer, yet it is of simple and inexpensive construction. In the first embodiment of this invention the height and distance of the ball from the playing surface is adjustable so the one device can accommodate all users. Although both embodiments permit the user to simulate running, jogging, or standing while training, they can be used virtually anywhere, indoors or outside, since only a minimal flat surface is required. And either embodiment can be easily retro-fit to an existing trampoline and once attached does not impair the operation or use of the trampoline. The whole apparatus is relatively light weight and is easily transported or stored.